This will have spoilers. I can't help it.

I screamed when I received the ALC of Scarlett's new book. Whenever she drops a book, I drop EVERYTHING. Scarlett St. Clair has been my favorite author for YEARS. So I don't hold back when it comes to her.

Okay, let's get into it.

Lilith and Zahariev ( If spell this mans name wrong leave me alone. We are just calling him Zah for my own sanity and this review).

I want to start by saying that when starting any St. Clair book after A Touch of Darkness you can't help but compare. ATOD is one of my favorite series ever and I couldn't help but search for similarities between Lilith and Persephone and Zah and Hades. To be honest, in the beginning, the dynamic seems quite similar. I was worried that we were basically going to be given ATOD just with different characters and then I would end up wishing she had just continued with ATOD (Forever waiting for Temptress of Fire and Fury ). Luckily, that is not the case. TATG is vastly different when it comes to the dynamic between Lilith and Zah.

In the beginning it is explained that only women are blessed with powers but that men still have the over all power/dominance in society. So Zah is, for lack of getting into too much detail, kinda like a mafia boss and he runs a territory. He has no power except for his resources and reputation. As you get through the story you truly see that Zah is fine with being in the background. He is not the man that wants to always set the rules and lay down the law (when it comes to Lilith). He is fine with kinda like "being the muscle" for Lilith and standing in her shadow. He is no submissive though. He understands Lilith's wants and needs and he has been in love with her for a LONG time. So whatever she needs or wants he is willing to give.

Lilith is very headstrong and knows what she wants and is very mature but she is also very immature in some ways. Zah helps balance her out before she can make any rash decisions which I love. They are very much a team.

I wonder if we will get books of his side of the story like what was done with Hades. I would be interested to know what Zah does when he is not with Lilith.

Esther dying killed me. Why? What was the point? Please bring her back.

Cass and Coco.....yes (even though Coco is a lesbian. I was feeling them).

This book is very much world building and plot driven rather than hardcore romance. I don't read many romantasy books so this could be standard but its definitely a book that needs to be written in order to get everything out there so we can move on to the meat and potatoes of Lilith's and Zah's story.

I thought it was well paced and not rushed. I remember when I read King of Battle and Blood I thought the lead up to the ending and climax was a little rushed. I found the pacing in this book much much better.

I really don't have any complaints. I am excited for the next book or however many books will be in this series. It will definitely hold me over until the next book in the ATOD series ( I will always go back to it).

I am nervous for the future books because I feel like it will involve flashbacks of what happened between her and List ( is that is name? Idk if the voice actor was saying Lith or List). I don't need flash backs of that. Is everyone a pedo?

Another 5 star read for my fave author but I expect nothing less.

Also.... 9 times? Zah, you are going to give a girl extremely unrealistic expectations. We love it.

I recently read this via audiobook (also from NetGalley) and was surprised to receive the e-book as well! I would copy & paste my review, but I just want to convey how amazing this book is!
The world building, the modern retelling of Lilith’s story, I loved loved loved this book! There’s not a story that Scarlett St Clair writes that I won’t read!
Again, thank you for this ARC!

This is an all new urban romantasy and boy did I eat this one up!!!!

🖤 Class System
🗡 Age Gap
🖤 Found Family
🗡 Forbidden Romance
🖤 Touch Her And ☠️
🗡 Morally Grey Characters
🖤 Slow Burn

I have been a long time fan of Scarlett 's and was super excited for this series. It was everything I wanted and more. I am obsessed with Lilith and Zahariev. The way he calls her "Little Love." This was full on a slow burn but definitely worth it when they finally give in!!

I felt like even the side characters were given their own arcs and really added to the story. Esther and Gabrielle!

❤️‍🔥 ARC REVIEW ❤️‍🔥

Pub Date July 8th

“Beware she who bleeds, bound in chains.
Beware the exile, the young winged beast, who dances unafraid before fire.
Beware the woman with many names, the maiden, the whore, the scarlet serpent.
Beware the temptress who whispers in the dark.
She is the beginning and the end.
She is peace and chaos.
She is terror knocking at the gates.”

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I really enjoyed this Lilith retelling, urban fantasy. Kind of mafia/femme rage/religious vibes. The world building was concise and unique. Maybe a little long and slow at times but I’ll still continue the series! Recommend for my dark Romantasy babes❤️‍🔥

Character art by @e_kath_art
Thank you @netgalley and @read_bloom

3⭐️

I really like this author’s writing style, and she’s good at reeling her readers in and keeping their attention. There was a lot that I liked about this book, but also a lot that was confusing or just didn’t make much sense in the grand scheme of things. For starters, Lilith’s magic is sex magic??? But it’s only really mentioned/shown at the beginning of the book and seems like a pretty useless power. Also I don’t totally understand Lilith and Zahariev’s relationship, or why his nickname for her is “little love.” More than anything, this book felt like it was an avenue for trauma dumping - which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I think it made the story line a little messy.

I liked a lot of the imagery and the scenes that the author conjured up. Cherub was so cute and humanized Lilith, but Coco, Lilith’s supposed best friend, felt shallow and like she only existed to be a friend to Lilith and had no real purpose in life otherwise. Also, Gabriel loses the literal love of his life and mother of his child, and still is somehow putting Lilith’s feelings above his own? Somehow everything is about Lilith and she expects to be the center of attention, and it just doesn’t make sense to me. I hope that there’s more development of the other characters and story in the next installment.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️.5

Holy…wow

Scarlett never misses. I swear to god.

When I first heard about this book, I knew I would do ANYTHING to get my hands on it. And once I saw it on NetGalley, I nearly pissed myself with excitement.

First of all, Lilith is mother and I refuse to accept any criticism on her. I love her so much and I will protect her with my dying breath. Zahareiv is The Book Boyfriend™️. Don’t try to tell me otherwise because you’re wrong.

This was not only such a fun read, but it was so interesting!!! I loved the different take on god, angels, demons, destiny, etc. This was honestly so different than anything I’ve ever read before and I am still thinking about it.

That ending had me YELLING at 1:30am because WHAT DO YOU MEAN??????? HOW DID IT END LIKE THAT???????

I need my dear Scarlett to please (I beg) write the next book faster 😭 I don’t think I can wait for what happens next.

Thank you so much to Bloom for this ARC 🥹🫶🏻

There’s something absolutely enchanting about being back in a Scarlett St. Claire world. Filled with mystical magic, a slow burn romance with the best pay off and characters you cant help but completely be obsessed with from their first introduction.

I love being thrust into this new urban fantasy romance where the woman are ones who hold the magic but not the power and following our FMC Lilith who has been running away from her destiny for two years. Until her thieving catches up to her, and her frenemy Zahariev who seems to constantly bail her out. The tattooed leader of the ward she’s in. I love their banter and tension from the very first page. I love feeling the longing and yearning of their relationship but the where the world was built around it. We get such a good plot that moves at a decent paced speed where I wanted it to go faster but also did not want it to go fast enough. I love the way this author weaved the webs of what is happening and then threaded the romance throughout, giving such a delicious slow burn experience. There was nothing to not love about these characters.

I love diving feeling into Lilith religious trauma and how that affected her growing up and how is coming into herself despite all the things she’s been through. I’m so excited to see where book 2 picks up and hoping to get to know more of Zahareivs back story. Getting his little POVs just made this story 100 times better.

Absolutely loved this book! Scarlett St. Clair does it again. This is different from her usual writings as it feels more personal and in tune with the world as we know it. She writes religion and the complexities that go with it so well. I am dying for this book to get into the world and for book #2 to release already. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of the book!

Best read of 2025 so far! Obsessed with Lilith and Zahariev. Their story is hot. 🥵🥵 if you’re into a strong female main character, this story is for you! Nothing I love more than an angry woman who gets her revenge. I received this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I finished this book in a just a few days because I was loving the plot and setting so much. I loved how strong our main character, Lillith, was and how she took control of her own destiny. The banter between Lillith and our older MMC, Zahariev, was top notch!! The way this man cares for this woman- YES, PLEASE! I love a good age gap romance and this one was executed perfectly.

The end had my jaw dropped and I can’t WAIT for the next book in the series.

received this book as an eARC and am giving my review!
To say I devoured this book would be an understatement! Scarlett St. Clair has done it again!
New story, new characters, gritty environment, fun and sexy slow burn! Cannot wait for the next book!

As a lover of all things Scarlett St. Clair, I was so excited to be able to read the book book in her newest series and I can say that Terror at the Gates delivered everything I was hoping for and more. It's definitely one of my favorite romantasy reads of 2025! If I had to comp it to another book, I would definitely say that it reminded me at times of Crescent City, especially A House of Earth and Blood, however it definitely had unique aspects and is its own amazing story.

Lilith was an amazing FMC and embodied feminine rage. Having grown up in a repressive religious society where women are used for child birthing and have their powers stolen from them, being able to see Lilith living on her own and being able to make her own decisions seems very cathartic. She's 100% a character who's hard on the outside and soft on the inside, feeling like she has to portray herself as tough and dangerous to protect herself. Watching her grow and being more comfortable being herself around the people she grow to trust is super rewarding.

Zahariev was everything and more that I want out of a protective, morally grey MMC. The pining and brooding that he experiences when it comes to Lilith, despite his efforts to hide his desire from her, was SO good. While the story is dual POV, we don't get a lot from Zahariev's perspective (the length of his chapters increases throughout the story) but the snippets we do see show us how down bad he truly is for Lilith and the lengths he's willing to go to help protect her. He's a very well thought out character as well, with his own motivations and personal struggles, so while he is, of course, very hot and an amazing romantic interest, he stands on his own as a character even without those aspects.

The relationship between Lilith and Zahariev is so slow-burn that it almost hurts, but it's definitely worth it to watch it play out and finally be rewarded at the end. The obviousness of Zahariev's feelings for Lilith mixed with her obliviousness wasn't frustrating, but rather helped their relationship develop and made the pay-off so good.

There were some amazing side characters that were equally well developed as Lilith and Zahariev and contributed to some of the most tragic and heartwarming moments of the story. Whether they were friends of enemies to the MCs, the side characters truly helped make the plot intriguing and realistic (or, as realistic as possible lol).

The plot and the worldbuilding were immaculate and I loved every aspect of it. The world felt very rich and full of imagery, with an amazing almost gritty urban backdrop mixed with fantasy elements. The plot kept me hooked the entire time and it felt so unique. There are a lot of religious references and depictions of how religion can be used to oppress people which felt very raw while be dealt with, in my opinion, well.

In terms of the audiobook, I loved Laura Horowitz's narration of Phantasma by Kaylie Smith, so I was super excited to have the chance to listen to her narration again. She knocked it out of the park, of course, and I could 100% feel Lilith's energy and personality in her voice. Since most of the story is in Lilith's POV, most of the narration was Laura's, which was amazing. I don't think that I've listened to Tristan Warden narrate prior to this, but I thought he did a great voice voicing Zahariev. He definitely had the right tone for Zahariev's character and really brought him to life. I'd definitely listen to more books narrated by them in the future.

All in all, I loved Terror at the Gates and, while I'm waiting for Scarlett St. Clair's next book, I'll definitely be recommending it to others!

“I would go to war for you.” 🥵

I had mixed feelings at the start of this book because the religious undertones were heavy. But wow this turned into such a good read! Zahariev is that delicious bad boy with power, danger, and just enough softness to make you melt. He’d burn down the world for Lilith, and I love that energy 🔥.

Lilith? She’s strong, bold, and doesn’t take crap from anyone especially not men 😏. That ending??? Ma’am. I need MORE immediately.

This book follows Lilith, who lives in a male-run society. Women have powers but are controlled by men and can only use their powers for men. She is apart of one of the ruling families but wants to experience the “real world”, so she goes off on her own and is under the care of Zahariev, the leader of another ruling family.

In a way, this book reminded me of Crescent City. Just in the way that there is a sassy main character that is perusing a grungy city with a gun, but there are fantastical elements involved (in this case, demons).

This book includes a lot of biblical references and stories (Adam, Eve, Morgenstern, the idea of the ark, etc), so if that bothers you, I would probably avoid this. If that is fine, then I would def recommend this to romantasy lovers. I really enjoyed the fantasy elements, and the quest to figure out why the blade Lilith found does strange things. There isn’t a strong magic system, in my opinion, but the history of the people and a society that is run by the church in lieu of gods was very interesting by to me.

I did listen to this on audio, and I feel like the narrator did a great job at the different voices and told the story in a way that was compelling. I especially liked the narrator change for the little snippets of Zahariev’s POV at the end of each chapter. That was a really nice touch!

As with all romantasy, there is a cliffhanger at the end. I do think I’ll continue with the series just to see what happens next and what else Lilith can learn about her powers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is girl power/feminine rage at its finest. The story hooked me in immediately, the spice is good and the end had my jaw on the floor!

TERROR AT THE GATES is a book I couldn’t put down. It’s rich world building, its characters, the tropes, and the story were all incredibly engaging. I truly think this is the author’s best yet.

The story has this noir urban fantasy feel with some mafia influence. That blend created a really unique reading experience and kept me engaged. And I do think the execution of it was almost flawless. While I do think there is a bit too much of the FMC, Lilith, getting into trouble as a plot device to bring her and the MMC together, I didn’t mind it as much because the rest of it was just so good. There’s mystery, murder, mayhem, whispers of the apocalypse? Sign me up.

And I really enjoyed Lilith’s character. I LOVE an angry FMC. I thought that her journey to self discover and growth was realistic and her anger was valid and just. Who doesn’t like a down with the patriarchy main character? I can’t wait to see her growth continue.

Overall, this is definitely a romantasy series to watch. If you like he falls first, touch her and die, urban fantasy, angry FMC, slow burns, and spice, pick this one up. You won’t regret it.

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Wow.

♾️✨

After 10% of this book, I dropped it and ran to Instagram and was raving about this book.
RAVING and PRAISING and already obsessed. I couldn't stop thinking about it until I picked it back up.
Then, when I finished the first part of the book, I went back to Instagram and lost my mind all over again.
I need to note: I am obsessed with Greek mythology *like was in university as a classics major*, and Hades x Persephone are two of my FAVOURITES. So when your favourite author writes about your favourite Greek gods, you become unhinged. And you think no couple will ever compare... until Scarlett drops TERROR AT THE GATES.
This is my favourite now. I cannot WAIT to see where Lilith and Zahariev go now. They are officially Roman Empire status.
I don't want to give anything as far as spoilers, but just know that the world-building is phenomenal. The settings and the religious magic are so visibly set in my mind because of the way Scarlett sets up her story.
The characters are so developed, and their relationships were easy to establish really quickly. AND THE EMOTION and TENSION.
I wish I could read this again...
Which I will do once I get the audiobook on release day <3

Thank you, Scarlett, Netgalley and Bloom Books for my advance ARC.

READ IT <3

⭐️∞ INFINITY STARS ∞⭐️
🗣️ THIS BOOK??? LITERALLY ALTERED MY BRAIN CHEMISTRY.

I don’t know how to function anymore. My soul? SCORCHED. My standards? SKYROCKETED. My heart? Held hostage by Zahari-freaking-ev and Lilith. Scarlett didn’t just write a book, she penned a full-body experience that left me trembling, sobbing, grinning, and whispering “one more chapter” until the sun rose. This rivaled her Hades and Persephone saga which was a God Tier series for me… so that honestly says something! (“God” tier though.. lol get it?)

🩸 Lilith — My angry little bratty queen. The embodiment of messy strength, all claws and bite with a soft, shattered heart buried underneath. I would die for her. Actually, I’d kill for her and THEN die for her. My Roman Empire. This woman can turn any straight woman like they’re spaghetti soaking in a pot. & Watching her trauma unravel and then her absolute rage be seen? Devastating. Healing. Beautiful. I am on my knees for this woman.

🔥 Zahariev. YES with a capital Z, A, H, A- listen. He is the blueprint. The “touch her and be deleted” protector. The morally grey menace with banter so elite I had to physically put the book down and scream into a pillow. The tenderness. The restraint. The quiet, all-consuming devotion. The quotes?? I will never recover. He falls first and HARD! It’s so PAINFULLY obvious.

🫀Their chemistry? SICKENING.
When she said “you can’t, not without starting a war” and he said “I would go to war for you”??? I blacked out. This is the kind of tension that makes your spine vibrate and your soul combust. It’s not just spice (because we wait until we were 80% in for action), no, it’s yearning. It’s emotional foreplay. It’s connection laced in fire and a longtime of aching.

⛓️ The themes: religion, trauma, patriarchy, power… they were handled with surgical precision. Scarlett doesn’t just write fantasy. She writes truth wrapped in daggers (literally) and silk. As someone with religious trauma? This hit in ways I didn’t expect. I cried angry tears. Then grateful ones.

💥 The plot? Sharp. The worldbuilding? Rich and textured. The magic system? Chefs kiss. And the pacing? A slow burn ( and I mean SLLLLLOOOOOWWWWW BURN) masterpiece. I was hooked from the first dagger stabbed in the bed and never let go.

💬 And let’s not even talk about the QUOTES that ruined my life:

“I’ll always be here, following in your shadow. I am not afraid of your freedom.”
I—just—how am I supposed to go back to real men??

📚 Bonus points:
• Dual POV but 80% in her voice? ICONIC. And his snippets had me reeling!
• Found family energy that healed my inner child.
• An animal sidekick! I loved cherub so much!
• Banter that had me kicking my feet and giggling!
• A dagger, a forbidden romance, and the stakes of the world on the line? YES.

⸻

✨ This isn’t a review. It’s a love letter. A scream into the void. An altar I’ve built to a book that didn’t just raise the bar—it vaporized it. I need book two like I need oxygen. I am BEGGING for a physical ARC because I need that shelf trophy like it’s nobodies business, okay? Okay!

Scarlett St. Clair, you are my villain origin story. This book is easily in my top 5 of the year! I can’t stop geeking. The way people will be sick of me from how much I will be talking about this book… and do I care? No.

Go read this book. Inject it into your veins. Tattoo Zahariev quotes on your ribs. Join the cult. You won’t regret it.

Scarlett St Clair is one of my go to authors when it comes to spicy romance and she did not disappoint with Terror at the Gates. Part urban fantasy, part mafia romance Terror on the Gates offers a fresh new take on the myth of Lilith. With phenomenal world building and the mix of plot and spice Scarlett is known for, this was a great read and I’m looking forward to seeing what is in store next for Zachariev and Lilith

4.5 stars

This book was so very, very good. I loved the noir feel of the urban fantasy with the kind of mafia feel.

Zahariev was perfection for me. I LOVE a good "he falls first" and when it's OBVIOUS and the girl is in denial despite the fact everyone knows and the TENSION they have. I gobbled up that tension! Not to mention, he's totally out there willing to unalive people for her without question. I loved how towards the end he just upfront tells her that he always does things for her and puts her in her place. We do get some small POV chapters from Zahariev and they were the perfect amount of look behind the scenes with him without having to be a whole other plot line.

Lilith was sass and attitude and I loved it. I love a strong female that gives attitude to the man and the man loves that about her. The whole patriarchal aspect of the world was so-so for me so every time Lilith goes on about it, I was a little "meh" about it, but I also understood where her feelings were coming from and the reason why she ran from her own home. I liked the relationships we saw that Lilith had. They were few and she's definitely trying to be independent, but I felt they were mostly meaningful to help her navigate the world. I did cry with the one death that occurred in the book. I mean, honestly, how could you not?

The story with the mystery of the dagger was interesting and I enjoyed the mystery and sleuthing with the feeling of the world. It worked really well. I also LOVED the animal companion we get! Cherub was adorable and who'd of thunk I'd need an animal companion in this world, but I did.

The overall world was, I think, not as well-developed as it could have been. We focus a lot on Lilith and the patriarchal/religion more than anything so the world could use more flushing out and the magic system too. And, frankly, I have a feeling we'll get more in the next book with the ending we got.

...That ENDING! Just like...Oh man, we are getting so much more history and explanations in book 2 after that ending! Crazy!

I cannot wait till the next book!